Office-indicator



No. 615,568. Patented Dec. 6, I898. O. 8. O. MOORE & D. R. OLIVER.

' OFFICE INDICATOR.

(Application and Mar. 3, 1898.) (No Modal.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES MOORE, ORLANDO MOORE, AND DEW R. OLIVER, OF STOCKTON,

CALIFORNIA.

OFFICE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,568, dated December 6, 1898. Application filed March 3,1898- SerialNo. 672,349. (No model.)

To alt whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES Moons, OR- .LANDO MOORE, and DEW R. OLIVER, citizens of the United States, residing at Stock- I ton, in the county of San Joaquin and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Office-Door Indicators; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in office-door indicators such as are adapted to be'placed on the outside of a door or desk; and our object is to furnish a doorindicator which will indicate the presence or absence of the occupant and the time of arrival, together with a suitable message-receiver. This we attain by the peculiar construction, novel combination, and adaptation of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claim hereunto annexed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of our improved oifice-door indicator. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View through the center of the same. Fig. 3 is a detached view of one of the disks 13. Fig. 4 represents a detached view of the disk or plate 11.

Similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

The body 1 of our oflice-door indicator is composed, preferably, of sheet metal cut in the desired shape; but such body 1 may be composed of any desired material. vNear the top, on either side, a log? is attached at right angles-thereto, and each has an opening in the same. .A leaf or flap 3 is arranged across the body 1 near the upper end thereof and is supported in a hinged manner on the lugs 2 and a rod 4:, which takes through eyes in said lugs and also an eye or hole in one of the transverse edges of the flap, so that said flap may be freely turned in a hinged manner. The

leaf or flap 3 is held in elevated position by means of a turn-button 5, which is pivotally attached immediately above the said leaf or flap 3 and adapted to engage the same when it is in elevated position. Immediately below the leaf or flap 3 the pictorial representation of a clock-dial 6 is placed, having two hands (the hour-hand 7 and the minute-hand 8) pivotally inserted on a post 9, which is rigidly attached in the center of said dial 6. The said hands are prevented from slipping off the end of the post 9 in any suitable manner, and are maintained in any position in which they are placed by means of a spiral spring or any other suitable spring 10, which c'omprehends the said post 9 and engages with the body 1 and the hands 7 and 8, there-' by impinging upon the said hands and cansing a friction which maintains said hands in position.

At a suitable point within the dial 6 we employ a circular disk or plate 11, which is inserted'in an indentation therefor in the rear side of the body 1 and pivotally journaled therein. A semicircular opening is cut in the body 1 equal to and exposing one-half of the plate 11, which plate has an operatingpin 12 attached on its face, which pin is adapted to extend through and engage with the sides of the semicircular opening for the purpose as will be shown. Immediately below the dial 6 any suitable number of disks or plates 13 (but we prefer three of such disks or plates) are arranged in indentations in the rear side of the body 1 therefor. Each disk or plate 13 has an axle or shaft 14, which is inserted through the body 1 and provided with a knob 15 on the end thereof for the purpose of operating said disk.

The body 1 has a suitable opening near the periphery of each disk aforesaid for the purpose of exposing the configuration on said disks. A message-receiver 18, preferably a slate, is attached to the face of the body 1, near the lower end of the same, by means of clamps 16, which are formed by cutting three sides of a rectangle at suitable points in the body 1, such clamps 16 engaging with the edges of the said slate 18 The body 1 may be attached to the door by means of two holes 17, arranged one at either end of the same.

The disk or plate 11 has the letters A. M. and P. M)? suitably marked thereon, so as to IOO ' marked near the periphery of the same, so as to appear through the openings in the body therefor, such words and numbers being arranged as desired. The flap 3 is adapted to receive any lettering desired on either side of the same and also the body 1 beneath said flap; but we prefer the following arrangement: On the top side of the. flap 3 the words Walk in, and on the under side of the same the name of the person or firm is arranged. Above the flap 3 on the body 1, arranged so as to be covered when the flap is raised, the name of the person or firm is placed. Below said flap 3 on the body 1 the word Out is placed, together with the words Will be back at.

The mode of operating our improved officedoor indicator is as follows: Each part having been placed in its proper place in the body 1, the said body is placed in position on the wall, door, or desk, as is desired. When the person or firm is in the office, the flap 3 is allowed to hang from the lugs 2, thus displaying the persons or firms name, together with the words Walk in. When the person or firm is absent, the flap 3 is elevated and maintained there by the button 5, which engages with the top edge of the same. The hands 7 and 8 are placed so as to indicate the hour of arrival in combination with the disk 11, which is turned by the pin 12, so as to expose the letters A. M. or P. M. thereby indicating the forenoon or afternoon, and the disks 13 are turned by means of the knobs 15 until they indicate the day of the week, month, and day of the month on which the occupant of the office will arrive.

When our indicator is arranged'to indicate the arrival of absentees, it will read, for example, T. A. May out. Will be back at 2 :30 oclock P. M., Friday, January 14th.

Any message desired for quick delivery may be written on the slate 18. When the absentee arrives, the button is turned, thereby releasing the flap 3, whereupon the same by its own weight falls over the word Out and exposes the words Walk in. The mode of operation is repeated at each time the occupant absents himself from his office.

We are aware that office-indicators have been made which comprise a clock-dial and movable hands, and that feature we do not claim, broadly; but

WVhat we do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An ofiice-door indicator composed of a body having suitable openings and indentations therein, suitable lugs attached to either side near the top of the same, a suitable flap 3 pivotally attached to said lugs, suitable letterin g on said flap and body aforesaid, a clockdial located below said flap 3 the pin 9 attached to the body within the dial, suitable hands inserted on the pin 9, the spring 10 adapted to engage with the hands aforesaid, the disk 11 arranged in the dial and having the pin 12 attached thereon, the series of disks 13, having the configuration thereon and arranged beneath the dial and the knobs 15 attached to said disks 13, all arranged and operatin g substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES MOORE. ORLANDO MOORE. DEXV R. OLIVER.

Witnesses:

JAMES T. SUMMERVILLE, MALBRY HAYNES. 

